Could Google Pay be on its way to Fossil Group’s smartwatches?

The increasingly popular Google Pay (formerly Android Pay) could be set to arrive in some of Fossil Group’s smartwatches soon.

Filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that detail nine new models that point to the inclusion of NFC technology (which is what’s required to enable contactless payments) were spotted by 9to5 Google.

One theory for why Fossil Group has steered clear of contactless payment technology previously is that they wanted to keep their brands’ watches as stylish as possible, which could have been compromised if the payment technology made the cases too big.

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On top of this, the contactless payment sector hasn’t taken off in the US (one of Fossil Group’s biggest markets) as quickly as other territories, so it could be that the time wasn’t deemed right until now.

There’s no clear indication of when these new Fossil Group smartwatches will be launched, but telecommunications equipment manufacturer Qualcomm’s new smartwatch chip will launch before the end of the year, as well launches from the likes of LG and Google itself, who, like Fossil Group, use the Wear OS in their watches.